By Authority of Force
by EarthKnight
Summary: My interpretation of the Pokémon world during medieval times. I may not be able to update regularly, but this is a first attempt at a fanfic anyway. Inspired by the world of the Mystery Dungeon games. May have strong violence, moderate language and mild suggestive themes later on. Reviews would be appreciated.
1. Prologue

_**I'm waiting.**_

_I've waited a thousand years, maybe a million._

_Maybe eternity, for I've lost track of time._

_I've seen stars born, seen galaxies die._

_Seen everything._

_Or so I thought_

_I've waited for someone, to provide a worthy opponent._

_And now, here you are._

_I'm waiting for you._

_Soon, you will be ready._

_Soon, or so it seems to me._

_When the time comes, you will know where to find me._

_**Where I've always been.**_

* * *

_What do you think? How is it?_

_Reviews would be appreciated._


	2. Acts of Random Kindness

"_**I know there are places beyond this.**_

_**I just hear they're all terrible."**_

Drip, drip, drip, drip. Water dripped from the roof of the cave. Straight on to Zal's head. Not that he minded. That was the thing about Sableye. Nothing ever annoyed them particularly.

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**_

Except perhaps the war drums.

This didn't bode well. The medical bays were in these caves. If there were lots of wounded, his hopes of a rest were gone.

Zal didn't do much. He ate and slept. He sang, and did a bit of sculpting as well. He was young, a child among Sableye. He was educated, more than all of his friends, and they often looked to him for advice and wisdom.

This war had gone on for years, perhaps centuries. No one remembered peacetime This particular battle was between the kingdom of Magnosse, ruled by Dragonite, and the kingdom of Dumeta, ruled by Metagross. There were other kingdoms, however. This land was divided into six.

He heard that Metagross were huge, emotionless, killing machines, and all who lived under them suffered from harsh oppression everyday. He'd find out soon enough.

Ten minutes later, after much running, he found himself in the medical bays. The head nurse, a kind and cheerful Blissey, let him in without a complaint. He sometimes sang lullabies, to those patients who couldn't sleep.

Pokémon of all shapes and sizes, all types and species, with all sorts of injuries, lay within.

Zal quickly tiptoed through this ward, searching for the prisoners.

Here they were.

So this was a Metagross. It was _huge_. But, it didn't seem so much a monster as it was made out to be. Its eyes were dim and sightless, its steel body bruised and rusted. It was barely alive.

There didn't seem to be many conscious Pokémon here. In one corner there was a Beldum, floating, breathing raggedly. Zal walked over to it, slowly. It was whispering something.

"Water... Please.. I need water..."

Doubtful, Zal asked "Why would you need water? You're not even alive."

"That depends on what you define alive as..."

Still wary, Zal passed the Beldum a jug of water

"Farran."

"What?"

"My name. Farran. Yours?"

"Oh. Zal."

"Nice to meet you, Zal."

This Beldum was young, it seemed. Barely older than Zal, if not younger.

"Nice to meet you too, Farran... What was a kid like you doing on a battlefield?"

"Battlefield? There was no battle. My town was attacked."

Zal's blood ran cold...

"The soldiers said there was a battle. Why should I believe you?"

"Why would I lie?" asked Farran.

* * *

How is it?

Reviews always appreciated.

Guess where the name Zal comes from and you get a cookie.


	3. Plotting

"_**Why would I want to believe,**_

_**that my people are the villain?"**_

Zal visited Farran regularly for the next few weeks. They spoke about everything, from themselves to their countries. According to Farran, Dumeta wasn't so horrible as Zal had heard. In fact, it was much like Magnosse, similarly fed tales of the horror of the enemy.

Zal said he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

It seemed that Farran wanted to be an adventurer.

_Had_ wanted to be.

The lord of Magnosse, a fearsome Dragonite known by the name of Ňárse, did not release prisoners, no matter how young. Farran might be sent to a labour camp for who knew how long? Forever?

And that's something he doesn't deserve, Zal thought, walking the last few steps out into the open city. He gasped as his eyes were stabbed with light. He hadn't been outside in weeks, and even then he was rarely out for long periods of time. But today, he had someone to meet.

The capital of Magnosse, also called Magnosse, funnily enough, was arranged in districts. There were no class divides, but, each district was made to suit a specific type of Pokémon. The caves were for the Dark and Ghost types, and as Zal was both...

Zal was on his way to the Electric district. There was only one person he could trust with what he was thinking. He wasn't sure she'd agree, but he could only hope.

Idril was a racer. A Blitzle, she found nothing made her feel alive more than the feeling of the sparks in her veins and the wind in her ears. As she ran through the streets, Pokémon leapt to escape her path, with no care for what they might hit otherwise. But now, she saw someone who wouldn't stop. Someone who was trying to catch her attention. She staggered to a halt, just short of the Sableye.

"Zal! What are you doing?" she cried.

"Getting your attention," he replied, quite calmly.

"Why?" asked Idril, gasping for breath.

"I have something I want to discuss. But not here. Somewhere more... Isolated."

"Okay..."

"So you want to break the law -piss off the most dangerous Dragonite that ever lived- to free a machine?" Idril enquired skeptically.

"They aren't machines. We've been lied to, Idril. They're people, just like us. Living, feeling, things that feel emotions just as we do," Zal replied calmly.

"And then what? Once we're no longer welcome in the only home we've ever known?"

"We're free. We can see the world for ourselves. Haven't you ever wanted to explore the wilderness? The deserts, the coasts, all the stuff outside Magnosse?"

"Well... yes, I suppose."

"Then you'll help me?"

"...Okay..."

"Thank you. You won't regret this."

"We'll see..."

* * *

I almost forgot I'd started this.

Reviews always appreciated.


End file.
